Become a Homelander and a Marvel superstar

Hope stopped and looked at Azu with deep remorse.

"He's still stuck in his old ways. He won't let me participate in the synthesis process. He still doesn't trust me, even now, he's still wary of me."

Seeing Hope's self-reproachful expression after failing to find anything, Azu cursed inwardly Pym, that white-haired scoundrel, that old thief with a gray beard.

But her face showed an incredibly gentle expression as she gently cupped Hope's cheeks in her hands.

"Hope, look at me."

"Pym particles aren't that important to me."

Hope was stunned and looked at him in confusion.

"Really." Azu's eyes were so deep they could drown you. "My biggest takeaway from this trip to San Francisco wasn't technology at all."

"Knowing you, Hope, is the greatest gain of this trip."

"Even without Pym Particles, as long as we are together, with our mutual understanding, I believe we can create our own miracle."

These words were like a shot of adrenaline, dispelling the gloom in Hope's heart.

Hope looked at the affectionate man in front of her.

He didn't covet her father Pym's technology, nor did he care about gains or losses; he only cared about her as a person.

In this world full of calculation and exchange of interests, this purity was simply irresistible to her.

Hope's heart was stirred; all the grievances she had suffered from her father over the years were healed at this moment by Azu's gentleness.

"Daniel..." Hope's eyes flickered as she looked directly into Azu's eyes.

"I don't want to deny my infatuation with you. It's crazy, but I really can't control myself."

She took a small step forward, shortening the already negligible distance between them.

"I want to know you better, Daniel. To know everything about you."

"Can you tell me about your story?" She tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with a curious longing.

Upon hearing this request, Ah Zu knew that he was just one step away from securing the deal.

Even without the "heartthrob" aura, she would still be devoted to him.

"ACtiOn!"

Ah Zu silently gave a mental thud. He switched gears, entering "Best Actor" mode.

His gentle smile slowly faded, and he turned and took a few steps toward the boundless sea, his silhouette appearing somewhat lonely in the moonlight.

"It wasn't a pleasant memory, Hope. In fact... it was a bit unpleasant to recall." As the howling sea breeze set the mood, Azu spoke, his voice tinged with melancholy.

Seeing this, Hope's heart tightened, and she immediately took two steps forward and grasped his hand: "If it's causing you pain, you don't have to say anything. I just..."

"It's okay." Ah Zu grasped her hand in return and gently shook his head.

"I have never met my parents." Azu's voice trembled slightly.

"They died in a bizarre accident when I was just a baby in swaddling clothes."

"After that, I was sent to my aunt's house. She was my only relative besides my parents."

He gave a self-deprecating laugh, a laugh filled with bitterness.

"But my aunt and uncle didn't welcome me. To them, I was just an unwanted freak."

"They wouldn't even give me a decent room."

"I've lived in a tiny cubicle under the stairs since I was a child. It was filled with clutter and cobwebs."

Hope tightened her grip on Azu's hand, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes.

"As I grew older, things didn't get better. My cousin was a spoiled fat boy, and his greatest pleasure was bullying me. He would kick me like a soccer ball and punch me like a punching bag."

"And my aunt and uncle turned a blind eye. They dumped all the housework on me. If I did anything wrong, I would be subjected to endless insults and food deductions."

"I've never had any friends growing up. Every day I ask myself, why was I born? Why does no one love me?"

Azu's shoulders trembled slightly, as if he were overwhelmed with grief.

Hope was heartbroken.

She couldn't imagine that this confident and charming man had experienced such inhuman torment in his childhood.

She thought her childhood, marked by the loss of her mother, was unfortunate enough, but compared to Daniel, her suffering was insignificant.

"Until my eleventh birthday."

"I received a letter, an acceptance letter from a private boarding school founded by the Starr Group."

"That letter changed my life and pulled me out of the darkness."

Azu described the moment that gave him a new lease on life: "I couldn't believe it at the time. It wasn't until a professor from the college knocked on my aunt's door on a rainy day and forcibly took me away that I learned that my parents had also been among the best students at that school. The college's foundation had been secretly watching over me all along."

"There, I gained knowledge, regained my dignity, and gradually got to where I am today."

Hope listened intently.

"You're so strong, Daniel," Hope encouraged. "You pulled yourself out of that abyss on your own."

"No, Hope. I didn't come out alone."

Azu looked at Hope with a solemn expression.

"In my life, there is someone who has given me the greatest help and is also my best friend in this life."

"Who is it?" Hope asked curiously.

"Antoni Starr," Azu slowly uttered the name, "or, you're more familiar with his other name."

"Homelander".

Upon hearing the name, Hope gasped.

Homelander! That great hero who fought desperately against alien enemies in space to save all mankind, and whose whereabouts remain unknown to this day!

"It's him?" Hope looked at Azu in shock.

"Yes." Azu nodded, his tone full of nostalgia.

"He wasn't aloof; he even personally taught me, funded me, and gave me everything I needed to grow."

Azu solemnly said to Hope.

"Hope, believe me, he's a really good person, a good person who's willing to give everything for his friends and for the weak."

"You can trust him completely."

Hope was deeply moved by the man she admired's heartfelt defense of his homelanders.

She nodded emphatically.

"I believe you, Daniel. He's a great hero, I've always thought so."

"And I am truly grateful for all the help she has given you in your life!"

Hint! Gained +5000 Special Popularity Points! (From Hope van Dyne)

"The time is right," Ah Zu thought to himself.

He lowered his head slightly, as if he had let down all his guard.

"So, after he disappeared, I vowed to protect everything he left behind. I had to appear strong, I had to be invincible. But..."

Azu raised his eyes and looked intently at Hope.

"...I also feel tired and lonely. Until I met you, Hope. You made me feel that I am no longer alone."

A tragic childhood, a rise from adversity, loyalty to a benefactor, and the vulnerability revealed at this moment.

Every aspect of this man revealed perfectly touched the softest spot in Hope's heart.

Motherhood and love erupted like a volcano at this moment.

"You're not alone anymore, Daniel."

Hope, with tears in her eyes, held Azu tightly in her arms.

"I will stay with you, forever!"

Hint! Gained +30000 Special Popularity Points! (From Hope van Dyne)